"How reliable is the 2002 Mazda Mazda6?"

"Based on 40 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Mazda Mazda6 has a median complaint mileage of 49222 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Mazda Mazda6?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Mazda Mazda6 is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 40 total complaints filed."

2002 Mazda Mazda6: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 40 complaints

Total Complaints

49,222mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

32,900 25th Percentile

49,222 Median Mileage

65,550 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

EQUIPMENT

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN

AIR BAGS

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY TIRES KEEP GOING FLAT- 2002 MAZDA 626. THE FIRST FLAT TIRE WAS ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO. THE MECHANIC WHO CHANGED IT OUT FOR ME POINTED OUT THAT MY TIRE LOOKED LIKE IT WAS IN GOOD SHAPE (NO HOLES) BUT ALSO LOOKED LIKE MY TIRES ARE LEANING "IN"- WHICH IS PUTTING THE WEAR/TEAR ON THE INSIDE THREADING, ..."

"2002 MAZDA MIATA CONVERT. WITH A TOP THAT HAS LEAKED SINCE PURCHASED IN 8-2002 AND MAZDA REFUSES TO REPLACE TOP AFTER 20 ATTEMPTS TO FIX. YOU DO NOT HAVE MIATA'S LISTED IN YOUR COMPLAINT FIELDS- THIS COMPLAINT IS FOR MIATA. ALSO, FOG LIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES AFTER RECALL WAS PERFORM..."

"I HAVE A 2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE ES V-6, I PURCHASED IN FEBRUARY, 2002. I BEGAN COMPLAINING OF ELECTRICAL ISSUES (...SPECIFICALLY BATTERY CHARGING/MAINTAINING CHARGE), AT 15000 MILES. INITIALLY, THE CAR WOULD LOSE BATTERY CHARGE; BUT IN JANUARY, 2005, THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM WOULD NOT OPERATE PROPERLY...."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28